3-second food fables

Love Hurts

When you love something, you think about it a lot. Lots of places or things remind you of it and sometimes your friends beg you to shut up about it.

If others don't see the value in this love of yours, you might become defensive because you wish it could impact their life as much as it has impacted yours. Just then, they would see the beauty in it too.

This is how I feel about food.

And because I love food so much, I write about it. Words are powerful. They tell wonderful stories giving us a snapshot of a split second in time. I love to record my thoughts, feelings, and struggles with food in these moments. I ask, 

"What is food? How do we communicate it?"

Often times thoughts of others bring the most clarity to these internal questions. Their honest reactions to food and food environments speak largely to psychology, religion, politics, and society more than a textbook ever could. Humans break down these large topics into plain words without recognizing how often the food is involved. Not one is right or wrong, just different, and this amazes me. 

So I want to share with you my compilation of food quotes from strangers like you and I and the heartbreaking, joyous, wonderful, hilarious, and awful emotions that happen in between the lines.

Enjoy.

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"The grapefruit trees were my favorite. We would have grapefruit wars with the moldy ones on the sandy ground. When they hit my sister they would release a puff of green mold. It looked like smoke. My dad also did this thing called grafting. One tree was growing a lemon, an orange, and a grapefruit!"

"I have been in the restaurant industry for 20 years...I know how to cook."

"Food Pyramid...You are too young to remember the Food Pyramid."

"Taco Hell."

"There is no such thing as climate change. "

"What is this?....a blueberry?...I've never had a blueberry before."

"What is sustainability?"

"Mangia!"

"Do you eat like that at home? Didn't your mother teach you better?"

"I had fruit today, that's healthy right?"

"I'm sorry my hands are shaking so much...I have...I have....Parkinson's disease. Thank you, sweetheart."

Grasping a plastic Giant Eagle bag, "Justin, quit your crying and stand up like a man!"

"Honey, I could give you a greens recipe."

"I had to throw my carrots out last week because they went bad."

"No, I don't cook. God said women cook." --my personal favorite

"Ew."

"Every Sunday my mother would make bread from scratch. We ate a lot of bread as kids. It filled us up...me and my 11 brothers."

"They have insects on a stick there at the market. That shows you how good we have it here. The crickets were good though. They have a lot of protein!"

"Earth is awesome."

"I liked those Kohl-bobby [kohlrabi] thingys. They are yummy."

"Indian restaurants are dirty."

"Have I ever told you the blackberry story? When I was 10, my friend's mom told us to fill up two huge pails with blackberries from the bush down the street. So we filled them up and brought them back to her. While we were playing in the backyard she brought out two blackberry pies. It was the best blackberry pie I ever had."

"Hi there, cutie. Can I have another bag of onions?"

"I had an airhead and Propel [flavored water] for breakfast."

"I hate bugs and getting dirty."

"I planted beets, swiss chard, and radishes. You have to see my garden! I weeded too. Poison ivy is everywhere... it's on my right arm. Honestly, it's like heaven out there."

"And after 9/11 I created this safe shelf. It's where I keep all my extra food and water in case something happens."

"I only like the first 5 sips of coffee. Cream, no sugar."

"Eat shit." --I took this literally because it is more fun that way.